apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

It seems the stacked H-shape of the "Hello Blocks" would indeed be a tasteful replacement for the milkcrates I have lining my oddly-shaped apartment. In spots where bookshelves won't do, I need something about one coffee-table book tall- these seem to do the trick!

Definitely an attractive product - and the price doesn't seem unreasonable either.

Besides their sleek and colorful aesthetic appeal, the Hello Blocks appear to be super mobile, both in terms of reconfiguration (for those who tend to grow restless for change within their residence) and relocation (for those who tend to grow restless for new residences altogether). Since I am in the process of a move, the Hello Blocks strike me as a playful way to work with a new space.

I think the Hello Block Shelving is the best in the showcase so far. I love the simplicity and the creativity. This should win!

I love the way the verticals (in the H configuration) are tapered so that the contrasting color of wood is highlighted.

Simple, beautiful, playful. Designs like this make me jealous.

i love this and the price is actually very reasonable. I could actually see myself buying some of these. I'm a big sucker for modular furniture

Kenn, are you single?

deaggleton: good point. I just liked the looks of these things and their flexibility in terms of configuration, but having these instead of traditional bookcases would definitely make moving a lot easier.

cool, fuzzy math skills? 14 times $70 equals $980 that's the price of slide 1(painted at that).

I love this, gave it 3 stars. Love the design, prices are reasonable. The only thing I would add is to close off the top shelves instead of leaving them open.

you people lap this unsophisticated stuff up! Apartment dwellers are in need of some serious shelves. Yeah!

Such a great idea and a classy alternative for storage and display.

No stars because of the unresolved coupling on the outer edge, unlucky.

Super attractive, and (taking his word that they are strong enough to be used as stools) very well constructed for the price as well.

@ garrischristie, what do you mean about unresolved coupling? I like the way they stack. I think the openness of the edge/coupling pieces looks nice, especially in the contrasting woods (like photo 4). The spaces keep them from becoming a solid mass from the side, adding to their light and elegant appeal.

Much more elegant and intriguing solution to modular shelving than the double cantilevered shelving, which is only a small step up from boards and concrete blocks.

Reasonable? That photo of the wood version would run close to $2000 for some shelves.

@garrischristie "unresolved coupling"???

you're just jealous you didn't come up with this first.

Cute!

@ garrischristie, garybobary, curlyhead: or does the "unresolved coupling" refer to JeffC's post from earlier in the day...Lol.

On a more serious note. I love the design. I get the price of it but wish it were lower.

I could see a whole wall or room divider in a loft with all white shelves punctuated with walnut accents.

How versatile, fun, and fresh. Three stars!

p.s. They'd be great as retail displays too! Think of all the options...

I also think the price is totally unreasonable. At $170 per unit for Walnut, he's going to go broke making these things.

Great design.

I've been very reluctant to post on my own entry, but I do want to address the cost (in the defense of not just myself, but a lot of the other designers who have been taking flak for their prices).

Semicolon is correct, at $170/unit in Walnut, I will go broke, but not for lack of sales. My trip to the poorhouse will be facilitated by selling the products at a loss.

I will easily admit that some of the design showcase items do seem out of touch, but others are very much in line with real handmade goods. Products made out of inferior materials and subsidized by the Chinese government (and their currency manipulation) have made it difficult for a lot of designers and builders to set realistic prices for their products. I'd like to expand on how I derive the price of the Hello Blocks and show you what it really takes to make a product like this.

To start, all of my products are made with Forest Stewardship Council-certified woods. It would be cheaper to uses non-sustainably harvested woods, but doing so will eventually deplete the availability of a variety of species, and create a supply deficiency leading to higher prices all around. Even the Medex in the pained versions comes FSC-certified and manufactured with a no-added-formaldehyde process that, while decreasing the toxins in the wood, increases the price as well. They are also designed and constructed to last for generations, not as disposable fad pieces. These are items you can pass on to your children, or resell with a substantial retention of initial value.

To demonstrate what it costs to produce a single block I'll use a Walnut block as an example. People seem to have a lot of issue with this price, so it's a good place to start:

Materials cost : It takes roughly 2.5 board feet (bf) of 8/4, and 2 bf of 5/4 rough walnut to manufacture one block.

2.5 bf @ 13.95/bf: $34.88
2 bf@ 11.71/bf: $23.41
Wood Total: $58.29

Labor costs (plaining and dimensioning the rough lumber, shaping the angles, gluing up, sanding, finishing, etc):

2.5 hours/unit @ $15/hour: $37.50

Finishing Cost: The finishes I use are also certified low-voc, non-toxic, and safe for people with chemical sensitivities.
8oz Linseed oil: $2.00
8oz Hardwax: $3.83
Sandpaper: 2 @ .75/ea $1.50
Rags: 3 @ .10/ea $0.30
Finishing Total: $7.63

Total production cost: $103.41

At this point it is typical of any manufacturer to mark up their product 30% to account for overhead costs (studio lease, insurance, heat, electricity, equipment maintenance, marketing, etc)

Price with mark-up: $134.44

So $134.44 is the payment I have to receive to basically break even on the sale of the product, with zero profit. That would basically be the wholesale price. When I sell them through galleries, they charge a 40% commission, so I have to increase the retail price to make up that difference, and allow me to recoup the $134.44. So $134.44/.6= $224.07. So for me to sell the piece through a gallery at $170 means I'm actually receiving $102.00/unit, which is a loss of $32.44.

I break even by also selling them independently, allowing me to make a slightly higher profit per unit, and offset the loss from products sold through galleries. I need the galleries to generate exposure, my independent sales would be negligible without them. I also offer discounts on orders of multiple blocks. Quantities of 6-10 sell at $160 each, and 11 or more sell at $150 each.

In fact, the maple blocks are the only blocks that make a profit when sold through a gallery, at a whopping $2/block. The Cherry, White Oak, and Painted versions just break even.

I hope that helps you get an idea of how makers have to price their goods. I'd love to be able to put these into a more streamlined manufacturing process. Buying materials in large quantities and mechanizing the manufacturing would cut costs somewhat, but not a whole lot. It also takes a lot of start-up capital to do that -- Money I just don't have.

p.s. Sorry JeffC, I'm taken.

Thank you. It is sad that you even had to post that. I just don't understand why people here aren't getting it.

You may have to consider going high end/commission instead of messing around in this end of the pool.

Good luck - I think this is the best design so far, regardless of price.

BTW Kenn, I meant you will go broke selling them. I did a quick calculation on what your costs would be on these, and was pretty close. Except I figured you were worth more than $15 an hour.

I find both the design and designer attractive.
3 Stars!

It's a very good concept (not far fetched), ditto name and I especially like the CD storage in the small compartments. This would look great in my house.
3 *

I love them. Absolutely love 'em.

kudos for using FSC lumber

simple and smart

very cool. but to think that the one on the right would cost over $2g ?! this design seems that it would be more fitting as a money saving solution rather than being in the same price range as custom built!

I think these are great. I voted 3 stars btw...but one very small comment...I wish that the spacers at the end joins were resolved in a slightly more elegant way. Maybe if the spacers were the same width at the shelf and became more solid? But very nice work.

Great design. Three stars for sure. So portable, and no holes in the walls. How clever to make them usable as stools or end tables too.

These are Great!

Fresh, clean look, innovative design and versatility, too. I like it!

This is great design, bravo!

i love this idea and think it is a winner- versatile, creative, beautiful, eco-conscious and functional. I'd buy one if i lived in the states.

you CHEATED in this competition? you paid an online marketing service to spam the website so other votes couldn't go through? Shame shame shame on you. What goes around comes around, and you will deserve what you get. Unbelievable.

Not sure if my post went through, sorry if this is a repeat. I just saw these at the Sustainable Living Fair in Fort Collins, CO and I literally stopped dead in my tracks. They are an amazing product. Beautiful, functional, and SOLID. I cannot wait to get the shelving and just wish I could afford the dining set up. Great job and good luck.

@elizabeth1736: If that was remotely true, don't you think he would have been disqualified from the competition? Yet he's still in contention for the judges pick.

Spreading lies about something you know nothing about is very unbecoming. You too will deserve what you get, perhaps on day a libel lawsuit, if you keep it up.